GB2320490A - Bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

A bottle has a neck 3 with a seating 5 in which is seated a resiliently deformable plastics ball 6, and a lip 10 at the mouth 3a of the neck closed by a metallic sheet cap 8 having a crimped skirt 9.

Description

Bottle The present invention relates to beverage bottles.

Glass beverage bottles having pinched necks which are shaped so as to retain members such as glass spheres have been known for many years. These bottles have been formed by blowing, and subsequent pinching of projections to retain the sphere in the neck. Such bottles have been used to contain carbonated beverages; if the beverage is highly carbonated, the sphere rises and becomes seated in the neck portion thus forming a crude seal.

Such a crude seal however was not found suitable where beverage bottles were subjected to rough handling during transportation or storage, which causes leakage of the fluid contents from the bottle. Furthermore such bottles must be individually made, as the neck must be formed around the glass spheres.

According to the present invention there is provided a bottle having a neck provided with: (i) a seating shaped and dimensioned to retain a spherical body in said neck; and (ii) outwardly extending lip means provided at a mouth region of said neck, said mouth region being closed by a deformable cap member arranged to overlie said mouth region, said cap member being of metallic sheet material and having a crimped skirt engaged with said mouth region; said spherical body being of a resiliently deformable plastics material.

It is preferred that the bottle is of glass, the bottle being preferably formed by being blown to the desired shape.

Glass is, of course, rigid and undeformable without softening.

The seating may be formed by first and second pinched portions, or inward deformations, on opposed wall portions of the neck. Such pinched portions, or inward deformations, respectively define first and second fluid flow conduits through the seating, which allows flow of liquid through the neck.

The pinched portions, or inward deformations, typically comprise first and second annular zones of the neck of the bottle. The first annular zone is preferably provided proximal the mouth region of the neck, whilst the second annular zone is typically longitudinally spaced from the first annular zone so as to be distal from the mouth region.

Preferably, the lip means comprise at least one annular flange member arranged to circumferentially surround the rim of the mouth region.

The seating typically defines a cavity shaped and dimensioned to retain therein the spherical body. Preferably the spherical body is substantially free to move within the cavity, such that when the bottle is filled with a carbonated, effervescent or like liquid, the spherical body is urged upwards in the cavity towards the mouth region of the neck.

The spherical body can then nestle against the inner face of the seating, so as to occlude flow through the neck.

It is advantageous that the spherical body should not significantly hinder the flow of liquid through the neck of the bottle. The spherical body is typically of a resiliently deformable thermoplastic material such as glass-reinforced polypropylene; the material should, of course, be of food grade (sterilisable) material.

The cap member is typically of steel, and is preferably lined with a plastics washer or the like to optimise sealing of the cap member with the bottle.

The cap typically comprises a central closure panel arranged to overlie the mouth opening; such a panel is typically substantially circular with the skirt arranged to depend from the panel.

There is further provided by the present invention a bottle substantially as herein before described, which bottle contains a liquid such as a carbonated, effervescent beverage.

The invention will now be further illustrated, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic view of a bottle according to the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the bottle generally designated 1 has a base section 2 and an open ended neck section 3. A pair of inwardly projecting pinched portions 4a is provided towards the open end of the neck section 3, and a further pair of inwardly projecting pinched portions 4b is provided longitudinally spaced therefrom towards the body 2 end of the neck section 3. Together, these pinched portions define a cavity 5 in which is located a resiliently deformable plastics sphere or ball 6.

A cap 7 is provided to close the mouth region 3a of neck section 3. Cap 7 comprises a closure panel 8 and skirt 9, and is formed of a plastics lined, metallic sheet material. Skirt 9 is crimped so as to sealingly engage lip 10 of neck 3.

To open bottle 1, an operating end portion of a bottle opener is inserted in the conventional manner between skirt 9 of cap 7 and neck 3 of bottle 1, and the opener pivoted relative to bottle 1 so as to bias cap 7 away from mouth region 3a. Cap 7 then disengages bottle 1, and the contents of the bottle can then be poured out.

Claims (7)

Claims:

1. A bottle having a neck provided with: (i) a seating shaped and dimensioned to retain a spherical body in said neck; and (ii) outwardly extending lip means provided at a mouth region of said neck, said mouth region being closed by a deformable cap member arranged to overlie said mouth region, said cap member being of metallic sheet material and having a crimped skirt engaged with said mouth region; and a spherical body of resiliently deformable, food grade plastics material received in said neck.

2. A bottle according to claim 1, which is of glass.

3. A bottle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said seating is formed by first and second pinched portions, or inward deformations, on opposed wall portions of the neck.

4. A bottle according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said seating defines a cavity shaped and dimensioned to retain therein the spherical body, and said spherical body is substantially free to move within the cavity.

5. A bottle according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said spherical body is of glass-reinforced polypropylene.

6. A bottle according to any of claims 1 to 5, which further contains a carbonated beverage.

7. A bottle substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.